Texting is ageing the skin on your neck

Skincare artist to the stars Nichola Joss once said “I am definitely seeing more clients with premature ageing on their necks as a result of using smartphones.”

So is it possible for the choice communication devices of the modern era to be ageing your skin? Brisbane’s very own cosmetic doctor, Dr Ingrid Tall, says yes.

“Holding your phone at a low angle, like when texting, causes you to continually look down which breaks down the collagen found in the skin in your neck. Over time this leads to a text message version of turkey neck,” she says.

And the cause of premature ageing of the skin in the neck region is not limited to those 500 or so text messages you send every month but also the hours on Facebook mobile, Twitter, Snap Chat, and if you are reading this on a mobile device all those hours you spend look to reaching your health and beauty goals.

One solution could be to cut yourself off from the modern world and say “au-revoir” to your online persona in an effort to literally save your own neck, but before you trash that new iPhone consider the many other options available to treat premature skin damage and rejuvenate skin across the neck and other parts of the body.

Dr Tall says there are many options available for people concerned about the health and appearance of their skin. She says options range from day spa treatments like facials, peels and skin rejuvenation techniques to cosmetic treatments like dermal fillers, muscle relaxants, fractional resurfacing, photo rejuvenation and laser.

“The treatment course taken is definitely up to the customer’s preferences as well as their skin health and beauty goals. There are many options to prevent and treat text neck, but the most important thing is to ensure you take long-term care of your skin”.

One exciting new treatment option for text neck is ‘Ultherapy’. The Ultherapy procedure can achieve a safe non-surgical neck lift; or non-surgical eyebrow lift or chin lift.

Ultherapy bypasses the surface of the skin and uses ultrasound to deposit focused energy to stimulate the body’s natural production of collagen and elastin in the deep tissue layers. Consequently, skin will begin to firm, lift and tighten over time.

This procedure has been cleared by both the TGA and FDA, and the FDA has also now cleared it to improve décolletage or chest lines and wrinkles.